Dream Walker

Chapter 13 | House of Horrors

Among the positive consequences of better sleep was that Callie became more observant of the world around her. Instead of floating in a fog of exhaustion intermixed with caffeine-fueled bursts of energy, she was able to appreciate other people and her surroundings. The smells and sights of the fair transported her to another world outside of reality. She felt immersed in the sense of fall, no longer stressed about school, work, or dark thoughts. She could be someone living in the moment, not a girl running from the secrets of her past and worrying about the fate of her future.

As she sank her teeth into a maple donut and chased it with a swig of spiced apple cider, Callie was very much living in the moment. She enjoyed people-watching too. There was a little girl sitting with her dad at a picnic table, and they were sharing a funnel cake while making funny faces at each other. A young couple emerged from a photo booth, hand-in-hand, gazing excitedly at the photo strip the machine had spit out. Callie smiled when she watched those little moments of joy.

The downside of her improved observation and the warm feelings stirred by the fair was that she couldn't stop noticing how attractive her sort-of-a-friend-but-not-a-friend Alex was. He was simply standing next to Quinn, laughing at whatever tall tale her friend was recounting, but he looked ridiculously handsome.

She appreciated the thickness of his dark hair, the joyous sparkle in his light eyes, the way his jeans fit, and way too many other little details. She already knew that swimming did wonders for his physique, since the swim gear she had seen him in left little to the imagination. Something in that donut must have revved up her long-dead libido, because he was starting to look like he belonged on her fall indulgence list.

While she didn't want to dwell on all the secrets Alex might have harbored when she was supposed to be enjoying a day at the fair, she needed to remember why she was so keen on keeping him at a distance. She fought to drag her eyes away from him, redirecting her sudden good mood. She nudged Lyn, who stood beside her with a fried Oreo and a nearly empty beer, and said, "Do you want to check out the haunted house next? I bet it's not that scary."

Lyn said, "It'll take more than a few painted mannequins and horror-obsessed teenagers to make me wet my pants. Last year, one of their 'monsters' had golf balls for eyes. Golf balls!" She took a bite of her cookie and shook her head in disgust. "I hope they put in more effort this year."

"Me too," Callie said. She took another long drink from her cider and noticed Alex watching her out of the corner of her eye. Shit, was he checking her out? Though his glances weren't infrequent, she could have sworn that one had been more than friendly, if not outright lascivious. He had always been kind, sometimes flirty, but perhaps getting away from their normal routine was causing them both to reevaluate things.

She swallowed a sip of cider wrong and coughed for a second to get it out, averting her gaze back to Lyn. "Only one way to find out." She finished the cider, threw the empty bottle in the trash, and started dragging her friend in the direction of the haunted house.

Lyn laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I'm coming." She looked at their other friends over her shoulder and called out, "We're headed to the haunted house, feel free to join."

Although they were calling it a haunted house, the title displayed above the entrance was 'House of Horrors.' It didn't look much like a house to her. Lyn told her the building was once a dilapidated barn that had been remodeled to have multiple rooms and narrow passageways for them to navigate between the rooms. It must have been extended in the back, because it didn't look very wide, and it didn't seem to be possible to fit so many people into a building that small.

The rest of the group had followed them to the entrance. They all purchased tickets and got into line with the other waiting patrons. The line was moving quickly enough that they wouldn't have to wait too long. Callie and Lyn were still at the front of the group, with Quinn, Alex, and Jonah right behind, then Arabella, Maira, and Nat bringing up the rear.